IT WAS a twilight affair in dreary conditions, but one thing that hadn't changed this season was that Rabbits' soft and screaming voice still sounded through our living rooms.

Ray "Rabbits" Warren, the 65-year-old cult commentary figure, was again on song on the small screen. The man who has inspired internet fan groups like the Ray Warren Appreciation Society, boasting 575 members, and Ray Warren for PM (just the one member) shone on a cloudy evening. His first ANZ Stadium crowd observation? "It's full of Beaver fever."

When Melbourne Storm fullback Billy Slater propelled himself to take a brilliant catch in the opening minutes, it prompted Warren's first pearler of an observation of the game. "He hasn't been that high since he rode a 17-hand horse for Gai Waterhouse in trackwork," Warren blurted.

When the Wolfman, David Williams, weaved his way through Storm players, Warren found time for an a interesting fact or two. "He still lives with his mum and dad in Winston Hills," Rabs said excitedly.

With the first half of "tremendous" football, as Phil Gould put it, finished - Manly up 8-0 - Nine served up expert analysis from Matthew Johns, who reckoned the Wolfman was "40 minutes away from an Australian jersey".

Peter Sterling remarked that the Israel Folau and Steve Matai match-up was "salivating". Ben Ikin interviewed a sad and suspended Storm captain Cam Smith on the sideline. "It's been the hardest day of me life so far," Smith said.

When Michael Robertson scored his second try early in the second half, Warren said: "Michael Robertson; he's no accidental hero. He might be an unlikely hero, but, my goodness, he can play." A few minutes later, he scored his third. "There he is, the grand final hero," Warren said, then started recounting from memory those who had scored three tries in a grand final. "… [Steve] Renouf, the Pearl, he did it…"

Manly romped it home. "Sparkling performance," Warren said. "Amazing performance," added Gould.

Steve Menzies had Rabbits screaming at his loudest when he scored in the final minutes. "Steve Menzies has scored. Steve Menzies has scored in the grand final. His departing grand final," Warren cried. "Beaver Menzies bids adieu in the best possible manner."

Before Rabs got his hands on the mic, the pre-match entertainment had been trying. Former Noiseworks lead singer Jon Stevens banging out a hit from 1987, while dancers dressed as footy fans jumped around banging the lids of smoking barbeques. Bring back Billy Idol on a hovercraft and his faulty microphone.

On the subject of barbecues, the five o'clock start had caused intense pondering across backyards everywhere. Questions like, when should one cook the sausages? If it had been either a night or afternoon grand final, the answer would have been easy. But the twilight kick-off meant the match was lost between mealtimes.

That problem was nearly solved when the two early games went into golden point and threatened to push the showpiece back into the night again. "This is just the most extraordinary afternoon," commentator Andrew Voss said. "This has been a remarkable day," Sterling said.